


Ocean deep

by Anima_W



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Romance, meremen, mermaid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-08-23 04:54:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20237056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anima_W/pseuds/Anima_W
Summary: I'm having a writer and artist block atm and I just started watching Voltron, so I decided to start a new fic just to get back into it. I'm staling to watch season 8, but this fanfic is an AU so nothing in the show is relevant.Lance is a merman, a bit odd to others of his own species which makes him a bit lonely, he doesn't mind it too much, until he finds himself tailing after a beautiful red fined hothead that makes his heart skip a bit every time he glares back at him.





	1. Chapter 1

The ocean was a big place, almost impossibly big, hiding so many unknown things to mankind, probably more so than space itself, which was good. for Lance at least, he could feel safe in the depths of the ocean, it got lonely tho. fish was not exactly the most intelligent animal, and mermaids were rare as it was. he considered himself someone rare or of the rare, being male and all. it made him a bit cocky when he did meed other mermaids, which, in the end, made them leave. not that he was a bad person. he was just a bit too intense most of the time, being a social ”butterflyfish” among a normally shy and quiet rase was maybe not the best. 

He hadn't seen another mermaid in months and was just swinging around aimlessly, adding stuff to his little seaweed bag as he did so. mostly stuff he thought would be useful or just caught his eye, like human stuff that glimmered in the water. he liked collecting things like that, maybe it was just in his nature to like pretty things, most mermaids tended to collect something. As he was swimming closer to bottom of the ocean to see if he could find anything worth keeping, he noticed something flick behind a rock, a large red fin, stirring up clouds of sand and bottom muck. struggling against something, a fin caught in an old fishing net, it wasn't a fish... it was too large... another mermaid! He hurried over to see if he could help, how long had they been stuck there? He needed to get them loose soon! grabbing a sharp stone he kept in his little seaweed bag to cut some of the net loose. not able to see the mermaid because of the dust and muck stirring up. the fin slapped him in the face as soon as it was starting to come loose.

”OW! watch it! I'm trying to help!” he barked annoyed, but couldn't really blame them, being stuck in a net must be really frightening. The fin stilled, and soon the cloud of muck and sand started to sink back to the bottom as he carefully cut through the net. the red fin was scared and torn in places, he was not sure if it was old injuries or caused by the net. humans could be so irresponsible and cruel sometimes. He could feel the other mermaid stare at him and he looked up halfway through cutting the net. his eyes widened at the sight. Half hidden among some seaweed was the most beautiful mermaid he had ever seen... actually... merman... he'd never meet another male like himself before. and the sight of him was breathtaking! Long black hair flowing around and framing his pale face, a slight pout on his lips, frowned thick eyebrows, and the most beautiful dark, almost black, amethyst colored eyes glaring back at him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter 2! it gets a bit dangerous and contains blood and killing of animals (fish)

Those beautiful eyes glared at him as if they were telling him to hurry up. it took Lance a second to snap out of his trance caused by the beautiful merman caught in a net in front of him. he shook his head and went back to cutting the said net. once the merman was free, he was about to ask him if he was ok, but before he even got the chance to open his mouth the other merman started swimming away. A shimmer of red and some gold-colored patches of scales mesmerized him for another moment before he blinked and pushed himself off from the spot he had been nested in while cutting the net.

” hey! Wait!” he reached out, trying to catch up. And the gorgeous merman snapped his head around to glare at him over his shoulder.

” what?” he stopped for a second, giving Lance time to catch up to him.

” what's your name?” Lance swam up closer to him. 

The red-tailed merman looked at him a bit confused.

” why do you care?” he didn't seem to be shy, but not exactly social ether. glaring and twitching his tail impatiently as if he wanted out of there as soon as possible.

” well...” Lance wasn't sure what to say for the first time in a long time. ” I helped you out, don't I at least get to know who you are?” he stared at him for a moment as if considering if Lance was someone he could trust.

” fair enough...” he muttered softly. ”name's Keith...” Lance grinned wide in response, Keith was such a pretty name.

” I'm Lance” he eagerly introduced himself, earning just a raised eyebrow by the other. 

” look, I appreciate you helped me out and all but I can't stay around...”

” oh... yeah I get it...” lance felt disappointed but could understand that he wanted to get going.

Keith started to swim off again, and Lance couldn't help himself and followed. It didn't take long for Keith to realize he had an extra tail and turned around again, glaring at Lance who stopped aswell.

” what do you want?” he snapped, his voice was tense and annoyed. 

”oh! Nothing, I just...” he wasn't really sure what he wanted. he was just drawn to Keith and didn't want him to leave. ”I'm just going the same way...” he lied. Keith just gave a small ” hm...” and turned back to the direction he was going and Lance kept following. 

After a while, he was starting to get a bit tired and kinda hungry but kept going until he heard something rumble. A boat? no... Keith had stopped and looked rather... embarrassed? Lance blinked before he realized where the rumbling noise came from, it was Keith. his stomach was growling and rumbling loudly and made Lanse snicker a bit.

” Are you hungry?” Keith fumbled a bit at Lance's question.

”yeah... I was stuck in that net for a while, and I didn't eat much before that....”

”How did you get caught in that net anyway?” he asked out of curiosity, and it earned him another glare and slightly flushed cheeks. Keith was so cute.

” I was looking for food, stupid” ouch, that stung, but he didn't show Keith that.

”Wanna get some food then? I'm kinda hungry too” Keith just nodded and slowed down so Lance could swim beside him.

”what do you like to eat?” Lance was curious. And Keith just shrugged.

”fish...” ok so he preferred fish over seaweed, that made things a little harder, but not impossible, hunting fish was not something Lance did often, out of laziness, but he wasn't bad at it.

”ok, what kind of fish do you like?” Keith shrugged again, which was a bit annoying. if they were gonna get fish, at least they should go for something he liked. then again, maybe he just wasn't very picky.

”so...” Lance started but was interrupted.

” I like eel...” Keith's voice was soft and almost a bit shy, as if he was embarrassed to admit it, to be honest, Lance didn't like eel much, there were harder to find and catch than other fish and they were so fatty and slimy looking. He probably made a face unintentionally, because Keith quickly looked away and mumbled, something about it not mattering what they ate. He felt like he should try it tho since he wanted to get to know Keith, and getting eel for him would be a good start to get closer to him.

”no, no, its fine we can try and get some eel if you like it” he smiled softly at him to reassure him it was ok, if it was something he really wanted. ”do you know where we can find some?” he never really had eel himself, they looked so unappealing to eat.

” it's fine... eels don't really come out during the day, so we probably won't find any anyway. let's just get something else.” Keith murmured softly but seemed to appreciate the thought. 

” Alright then, let's see what we can find.” Lance smiled and swam next to Keith as they went looking for food. 

It took a while, but soon they found an old sunken ship. it was huge and most likely full of different fish. Keith seemed to be getting a bit slower, most likely due to hunger and being caught in that net for so long.

” This should be a good place.” Lance gestured to a hole at the side of the ship that they could swim through, to get inside the wreck.

It was dark inside. but enough light flickered true the holes of the roof for them to see. they kept quiet not to disturb any fish inside and looked around. at first, it seemed like there was just small fish, too small for a proper meal. then out of the blue, Keith flicked his tail and darted off so fast it surprised Lance. Keath had spotted a blue and orange parrotfish, that had somehow made it into the boat. he made quick work out of killing it, hard scales crunching loudly as he sunk his teeth into its back, just below the head. it was both aggressive and elegant is some way. Lance had never seen anything like it and just stared. Blood flowing in the water blending perfectly with the same bright red of Keith's tail, he was so messy yet so beautiful. 

Something suddenly blocked the light from where they had entered, and lance turned around to see why. A shark that had passed by had sensed the blood in the water from Keiths kill, and had made its way into the boat. yaws wide open ready to take a bite out of Lance, who was closest to where they had entered. he felt his heart stop as it approached fast, rows of sharp triangular teeth in a big gaping mouth, this was how he was gonna die! He shot his eyes tightly getting ready for the pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please if you liked it, write me a comment to keep me motivated to write more chapters :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter also contains blood

The water beside him moved and swirled fast. and when he snapped his eyes open, al he could see was blood. It swirled around in the water for a moment before it cleared, a loud strange noise coming from the shark, Keith had grabbed a sharp piece of metal from the floor and stabbed it into sharks Gills. the soft, vulnerable part of many shark species, it trashed around to try to bite its attacker. but Keith was to fast and grabbed Lance's arm, dragging him out of the confined space of the boat. Everything went so fast nether the shark or Lance had much time to react. Before he knew it they were hiding among the rocks and corals around the ship, the bright colors making them blend in, the shark didn't seem to be interested in picking a fight anymore and swam off. Keith let out a breath and looked over at him.

”You ok?” he had a concerned look on his face. Lance didn't think he cared much for anything when they first met but maybe, just maybe he started to feel like he wanted to know Lance aswell. Still, a bit shook from the ordeal with the shark he just stared and nodded back.

”We should find somewhere to rest and try and find something else to eat. that shark may have lost interest but there could be more...” he looked around cautiously, making sure the shark had really left. They here huddled close together in there hiding spot, red and gold scales brushing against blue and silver. Lance didn't say anything. it was nice being so close to Keith, they just met a few hours ago but he already felt like he wanted to spend more time with him, he was so beautiful and brave and seemed to care about if Lance was ok or not, he didn't just leave him for dead in that boat whit that shark. He realized Keith was still holding on to his wrist and it made his chest flutter with a strange warm feeling, he could get used to this. His thought was interrupted by Keith.

” let's get going, the coast seems to be clear and we should move before it gets dark.” he let go of lance's wrist and left his side. 

Like earlier, they didn't talk much and Lance followed Kaith who seemed to know where he was going.

When it was starting to get dark they found themselves at an uninhabited island with shallower waters. rocks dotted the edges and a small cave that seemed like it might be a good place to sleep, possibly the perfect place to spend the night and find something to eat. at this point Lance would eat rocks if he could, he was starving and couldn't even imagen how hungry Keith must be, he started to look even paler and slower and it made Lance worry. 

”maybe you should rest a bit while I get something to eat.” Lance offered cautiously.

”fine...” Keith seemed too tired to argue even if it seemed like he was about to at first.

It was quickly getting darker and the shallow waters seemed like a good place for finding eels according to Keith, so Lance took the task upon himself to get Klance his favorite food. a task that was a lot harder than he had expected, every time he found one, it was either to fast for him or slipped right out of his hands when he managed to grab one. His struggles made Keith laugh amused from where he was watching, it made lance face heat up and even more determined to get one to prove himself. No such luck, he just made a bigger fool out of himself with the eels slipping out of his hands again, and slapping him in the face as they swam off. At this point Keith was hunched over, holding his sides as he was pretty much howling with laughter. 

” it's not funny!” Lance whined embarrassed, even tho it was adorable the way Keith laughed at him.

”it is!” Keith wheezed between laughing. God, he was cute...

”then show me how to do it right!” lance gave him a dramatic pout.

”Alright, alright” Keith caught his breath and got up from the spot he had been sitting in while watching Lance fail. ” I'll show you how to do it.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter contains sexual themes but no actual sex and a lot of emotions

Together they had managed to catch two eels and took them with them into the hidden cave to avoid any more preditors that might show up. The cave opening was right under the surface of the water and led up into a large open space, a smooth sandy beach with plants around the edges, some big rocks, smooth from years of the tide washing over them every day. The roof opened up right above them but provided enough cover for them to feel safe. The stars started to come out and the moon lit up the sand and water in a beautiful soft light, enough for them to be able to see. They made themselves comfortable on the edge of the beach, tails still in the water to be able to get back in if they wanted to. It was much easier to eat like this and the surroundings were relaxing. He glanced over at Keith just as he was taking a big bite of his favorite food, not sideways like a normal person, but headfirst. His lips wrapping around the long slippery fish, and he felt like his heart stopped. Heat was rising to his face and his tail splashing up water. Lance has never felt like this before and he couldn't breathe for several seconds until the crunching sound of Keith biting down startled him back to reality and made him wince.

”Mh?” Keith was looking at him now, eel still hanging from his mouth. Not helping! Lance had to rub his burning face with both hands.

”Do you have to eat it like that?” His stomach had started to feel weird, not like he was sick, just... weird. Keith took the slippery eel out of his mouth with a strange wet noise, making it even worse!

”What do you mean?” He really was clueless... then again... Lance didn't know why he was reacting this way either.

”Nothing, just... don't eat it like that, it's weird...”

”Uh, ok...?” With a confused look at Lance, he went back to eating. This time, taking a big bite from the side, which makes the feeling in Lance's gut ebb away a bit. He looked down at his own eel. It did not look appealing at all... but he was hungry. Plus, Keith seemed to enjoy his, maybe a bit too much from how happy he looked. 

He closed his eyes, took a calming deep breath before taking a bite of his own. He expected it to be gross! The skin was tough and it was hard to hold on to, but it wasn't as bad as he expected. It certainly was fattier than he was used to, but it was actually... pretty good. He could hear Keith hum pleasantly beside him, and they ate in silence before washing their faces and stretching out in the soft sand. The waves gently washed over them like a blanket. They watched the stars and told each other stories. Keith had come all the way from up north, the waters were much colder and he missed his old hunting grounds, but was glad he made the decision to migrate to warmer waters. Lance had lived his whole life in these waters and couldn't even imagine how Keith could stand being cold all the time. Like most mermaids, they had both left their parents when they were old enough to fend for themselves, and possibly find a mate. They talked late into the night, telling each other about there experiences and dreams. Lance did most of the talking and he started telling Keith about how he wanted to find a mate, find a place they could come back to, someplace like this island, and just explore together, and maybe even have some kids. Something in Keith's eyes changed and he looked so sad it made Lance's chest ache.

”What's wrong?” He gently reached out to touch Keith's arm, but he pulled away.

”It's nothing... I just...”

”Did I say something wrong?” Keith looked so small and vulnerable all of a sudden, pulling away from Lance just slightly.

”No... It's just me... I don't think I'll...” Lance watched him trying to figure out what was wrong but didn't pressure Keith. He let out a deep sigh and looked over at Lance again.

” I don't think I could have anything like that...” He snorted as if trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't. Lance felt a lump building up in this throat. The way Keith looked right now made him want to hold him and never let go.

”Why not?”

”It's... It's dumb...” Keith rubbed his arm awkwardly.

”No, it's not dumb, you can tell me” Lance knew he might be pushing Keith now, but he wanted to know so he could help.

” I just don't think I could let myself get hurt again...”

He couldn't believe it! Keith... Keith's been hurt? Like been in love?

**Author's Note:**

> if you liked this, PLEASE tell me what you think so I can be motivated to add more chapters :)


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